The 73 Annual Hunger Games
by Sara Rox
Summary: Iris's life in the poor District 12 is hard enough. It's even harder when she has to be in the Hunger Games! She's going to need to pull out everything she's got...courage, charm, strength...but will that be enough?
1. Close to Death

**Hey guys! So this is the first chapter of my new hunger games fanfic(obviously) If you have ideas for some of the tributes or people of District 12 please review this! Also review if you like it I'd love to have some feedback! Thanks!**

The ground was soft and wet with dew. I laid my head down on a particularly soft spot near a group of flowers.

I spotted some iris flowers, where my name had come from. Maybe that's why I always found them so beautiful. This seemed like a very peaceful place to die. They reminded me of home, which was so close but so far away at the same time. I knew that I would not be returning. I just hoped my family would be okay.

_I love you, mom and dad. I'm so sorry I couldn't say goodbye one more time._

I placed a hand lightly on my stomach. It growled loudly, like a vicious animal. When was the last time I had eaten? I couldn't even remember. And whenever it was, I had certainly had no more than a chunk of bread that my friend Peeta had gave me. My mouth watered at the thought.

I felt myself getting weaker and weaker, even though I was just lying down.

_Please God, just end it now_, I thought. _I'm ready to die._

The iris flowers were so beautiful. I'm glad they were there for me to focus on as I withered away, and not my extreme hunger.

Just then I heard faint sounds of someone walking towards me. Their boots were making squishy noises that let me hear them approaching.

"Hello?" Then I felt the person shaking me. I couldn't muster up the strength to even sit up.

"Leave," I managed to croak out. "Let me die in peace."

I heard them sigh and look around. What were they doing? I'd just told them to leave me alone!

Then there was a noise from a knife ripping something. What seemed like a lifetime passed, and then the person rolled me over to face them.

It was a girl who looked about my age-fifteen. She was thin and bony just like me. I guess everyone in District 12 is like that-it's hard to avoid when you have virtually nothing to eat.

"What is your name?" She looked very sympathetic.

"Iris."

Then the girl showed me some meat that she must have just cleaned. The smell was amazing-better than anything I'd ever smelled in my life. I would have fought the girl for it-if I had any strength left. Instead I just sighed longingly.

"Well Iris," she said. "My name is Katniss. And I'm willing to bet you want some of this deer."

She was offering me food? But…I didn't even know her! Usually if anyone has food like that, they eat it all themselves. It's very rare to even have the chance, though.

"Yes." I was practically trembling. "Badly."

Katniss then ripped off a chunk of the deer meat and put it in my hand.

"Eat up. Then you should be getting back to your family, Iris."

I felt my hope rising up. This was the largest portion I'd ever had. The entire chunk was gone in what must have been seconds. I felt better already, though of course I still wanted much more. I looked at the girl again, trying not to be pushy but desperately hoping she'd help me out again.

"Have another piece," she said. She wasn't very smiley, but that hardly mattered. This was the nicest thing anyone had ever done for me.

"Thank you," I whispered, gnawing into the second piece. I was almost satisfied then, which was saying something.

Katniss helped me stand up again. With some food in me, I noticed her appearance more.

She had long reddish-brown hair that was tied back in a braid. Her face was very narrow and her electric blue eyes stood out against her pale skin. She was holding the rest of the dear meet and had a set of bow and arrows slung across her back. I then realized she was the daughter of one of the men that died in that miner accident a few years ago. I had seen her in the Justice Building, trying hard not to show emotion. I instantly felt for the girl…she had had a rough life.

Although regular life in District 12 is no picnic either.


	2. Flashback

**So this chapter isn't as long as I wanted it to be, but I guess it will do. So please review and if you have ideas for tributes, let me know! **

"You don't know how grateful I am," I said softly. There seemed to be no right way to thank her.

"Actually, I do." I noticed that she never showed much expression in her face. Maybe she was hardened from losing her father…I had definitely changed when my brother, Bradley, had died. He was only eight.

I remember the day so clearly. He went out to ask if anyone had some bread to spare. The idea was probably a little foolish, since most people had no food to spare. If they did, it would have gone to a family member. But we decided to try, since there were no other options. We had already taken so much tesserae…I was twelve, and my name should have only been in the pickings for the Hunger Games once. But by taking tesserae (grains of wheat to make food), your name gets added in more. My name was in nine times.

So we sent Bradley off at what must have been around three in the afternoon, because we had just gotten out of school. Soon it was six, and he had not returned.

"What is taking him so long?" I remember my mother asking me. We were all panicked, though not trying to show it. If we acted calm, then he was sure to be alright, right?

Wrong.

Once it was eight I decided to go out looking for him. _He is fine_, I told myself. _He just…got into a conversation with somebody. He's fine._

I walked around the whole District. I talked to Greasy Sae at the Hob, I talked to the Mellark family, the Hawthorne family, the Mayor's family, even a few Peacekeepers. The ones that had seen Bradley said he left hours ago.

Not wanting to pretend anymore, I began running around the woods. Dangerous idea, of course, but surprisingly nothing happened to me. Then I saw him on the ground by the gate. His body immobilized, no breath moving through him. He was dead.

I didn't realize until after I was home and almost calm, that he was trying to get past the gate. An eight year old boy, already desperate for freedom, already realizing how wrong the Capitol is. He was so wise for his age…

"Iris? Iris?" I jumped. Katniss was looking at me…concernedly?

"Sorry. I just…" Tears were beginning to fall from my face. If only I could hold back my emotions.

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," she told me.

I didn't talk. We were almost at the center of 12, close to my house.

"I should be getting back to my house…" I said, after a long silence. Would I ever see this girl again, the girl who saved me? I hoped so. She seemed like a very good person to know.

"Yes, your family will be worried. I'm sure I'll see you around, Iris."

And with that, she walked away.

…

"Iris, oh Iris! We were so worried," My mother breathed, engulfing me in a hug. I felt like I was being suffocated, but it didn't matter. I was home and alive, and I was so thankful for that. I allowed myself to be short of breath for a few more minutes, until I needed oxygen.

"My baby." My father hugged me too, for a much shorter time than my mom. He was a man of very few words, but the hug said it all. He was extremely relieved.

"I'm so sorry," I whispered, close to tears. "I went to go look for some herbs, but I was so hungry, and I-" I couldn't finish. I began crying again.

"It's okay, it's okay!" My mother assured me, also crying. So this is where I got my obvious emotions from. We allowed ourselves to cry for a while longer, and then I told them the story about Katniss. How she had given me some meat, even though she didn't know me.

My parents were stunned. We had no idea people could be so compassionate.

"She's a saint," said my father. I nodded.

"Well, we need to repay her somehow!" My mom began looking for something for me to give Katniss. This took a while, since we didn't have much. Then we decided on a blue hair tie of my mother's. Believe it or not, this was probably the most luxurious thing in our tiny house. But it would have to do.

"I'll go see her tomorrow."

Tomorrow was the day before the most dreaded day of the year. The Reaping. Two names were picked to be in the Hunger Games. One boy and one girl. Since I'm fifteen now, and we desperately need tesserae, my name has been put in a total of forty-one times.

I did not like those odds.


	3. New Feelings

**Alright! So I am going to try to start making my chapters longer, and I realize this one isn't too long, but I am hoping the next one will be! I already figured out all of the tributes names with my friends Taylor (shout out to you girl!) but if you want to review some traits that they can have, feel free! So I hope you enjoy and please please review!**

"So…I just wanted to say thank you for the other day."

I was standing on the stoop outside of Katniss Everdeen's house. The little blue hair tie was sitting in my hand, seeming so inadequate as a gift to the girl who saved my life. What use would this be in District 12? We're all starving here…I'm sure silly little things like hair accessories are of no real use to anyone.

I handed it to her shakily, praying she would not think I was a fool. She accepted it, though, and put on a weak smile. It looked like she was thinking hard about something.

"You're welcome. I was in the same situation as you once…it was definitely life-changing."

Her voice seemed to be wavering, and this was obviously a painful memory for her. I know it will be hard for me to look back on my near death. It was so painful, being starving like that. I was starved all the time, but that had been…different. That deer meat was the best thing in my life…and to those in the Capitol, it probably means next to nothing.

I felt a surge of anger when thinking about the Capitol. Those snobby, rich people who dressed crazily and had anything they wanted at their fingertips. No concern for the poor District 12…

"Yeah," I sighed, forcing myself to keep eye-contact with her. "Life changing."

"Thank you for this. Really." She was obviously trying to comfort me. Besides the fact that the other day had been very hard for me, the reaping was tomorrow. Everybody was very nervous. Anybody could be picked…

"It's no problem."

"Katniss?" A heard a voice calling from inside her house. It must have been her mother. "I have some milk from Lady!"

I assumed Lady was their cow or goat…wow, they have an animal and a hunter in the family? The Everdeens were much better off than the rest of us. Though they still must have it pretty bad.

"I've got to go. But you can stop by whenever you want, Iris."

So maybe this Katniss girl would be my friend. It's good to have a couple of these to liven up life in the Seam. Even better to have some friends who can hunt.

"I will!" I felt a bit of…happiness? Wow, hadn't felt that in a while. "See you later, Katniss."

…

As I was walking back home, I passed the Mellark home. I might as well visit Peeta while I was out.

"Hi, Mr. Mellark."

"Hello, Iris. Peeta is in the back, making some bread. Feel free to help him…he's a little bit slow today! I'll give you a piece of bread if you can speed him up," said Peeta's father.

A piece of bread? Well, the reaping season sure made Mr. Mellark generous! Not that he hadn't ever given me some bread before.

"Peeta? Peeta, where are you?" I ran around to the back at the bakery. The prospect of having food made me so excited that I didn't even notice when Peeta turned around and I smashed into him, causing us both so fall down.

"Ow! God, Iris!" Peeta chuckled and helped me back up. "Trying to kill me?"

"As if the Capitol wasn't already trying to!" I giggled. We both tried to joke as much as we could about our situation here in 12. Otherwise…it became too depressing to bear.

"Well, you can help me with these pieces over here. I think my dad is getting frustrated with me today." He led me over to the stack of dough to be cooked.

"Yes, he is. And you better let me help because I want a piece of bread!"

"Wow, a whole piece," He looked surprised. "My dad must be feeling generous…day before the reaping, you know."

"Yeah, I know." I felt extremely nervous again. Forty-one times, my name will be in the pile. Forty-one…

"Hey, don't worry!" Peeta said, like that would make me stop worrying. "A lot of people have their names in extra times. I do."

"How many times is your name in?"

I don't know what I would do if Peeta was in the Games. It is so unlikely for a District 12 to win…we're poor and starving here, and our best-known trait is that there are coal-miners. Peeta doesn't work in the mines, though, so his only skill is baking…although he is very strong.

"Fifty-seven."

Ouch. Those odds were not good either.

"We'll be fine," I said, wanting to believe myself. "I'll be back to moving you along in the bakery tomorrow."

"I sure hope so," he said. "So what have you been up to today?"

"Well, I went to go see Katniss Everdeen…she kind of saved my life a yesterday." Kind of? Why did I say that? She DID save my life yesterday…

"Katniss Everdeen?" He asked skeptically. "You…you saw her?"

I wondered why he had sounded so surprised. I didn't know that Peeta knew her…were they friends? If so, how had he not told me about her?

"Well, yeah, she saved my life!"

"She has the voice of an angel," he said, smiling a little. "I never worked up the nerve to talk to her. Even after I…" he trailed off, sitting on the floor.

"After you what?"

"After I gave her a piece of bread, when she was starving."

That must have been what Katniss was talking about! She understood what it felt like to be in someone's debt, to be so close to death and starving. Peeta had saved her like she saved me.

"Oh. Yeah, she said something about that."

Peeta looked up at me, his face lit up. Did he have a crush on Katniss?

I felt my heart sink. Maybe I'd never really admitted it to myself before…but Peeta was very charming, attractive, funny…Wait! Did I like Peeta?

I glanced quickly at his face, and noticed how good-looking he was. His firm jawline, blonde hair that fell into his startlingly blue eyes, a smile that could make a girls heart melt…

I had to look down then, because I was so embarrassed that I had these feelings. Peeta was my friend…I couldn't be attracted to him! Could I? No, apparently I could not, because he had already fallen for someone else. He had fallen for Katniss Everdeen, and a long time ago too.

"Come on," he said, smiling adorably. "Let's bake."

I wanted to sit and wallow for a lifetime…but then I remember the promise of a piece of bread if I helped him work. Having food to eat was more important than anything.

"Coming, Peeta."


	4. The Reaping

**Here's chapter 4! Not my best chapter, but I already know what the next one will be about and I hope it will be very good! So if you happen to be reading this right now, PLEASE review, because I love to get feedback! My only reviewer right now is my friend Taylor, hahaha, love you girl!**

"Mom…mom!"

My hair was being pulled, yanked, washed, and many other things for several minutes…which was longer than it had ever been fussed with before. Except maybe last year's reaping. But during the assault on my head, it felt much, much longer.

It was sort of like a tradition in District 12 that you looked your absolute best on the day of the reaping. After all, if you were to be picked for the Hunger Games, they show you on television. Although if you _were _in the moment, I bet the last thing you'd be worrying about is how your hair and outfit look to the viewers.

"Sorry!" And with one final yank, my mother was done with my hair. It was in a simple yet elegant ponytail. That and the fact that I was wearing my mother's old violet dress, made me hardly recognizable.

"Are you done?" I asked, wearily touching my newly styled hair. I didn't like dressing so fancy…it made me feel like I had something in common with the Capitol. Their luxurious ways disgusted me.

"Yes, Iris, I'm done," she said exasperatedly. "You make it sound like torture."

_Well, you make it torture! _I sighed and began to fix my father's tie. It was a deep blue, handed down by my great-grandfather. It must have been the most expensive thing in our whole house. The fabric was nice and soft, with an intricate design. There was a barely noticeable picture of some type of bird stitched into it. It looked unlike any other bird I've ever seen, but beautiful all the same.

"Are we all ready to go?" My father cleared his throat. It must have been hard, thinking about possibly losing your daughter. Or losing Peeta, who he always said was a 'fine young man'. They'd worked together at the Bakery many times. There was Madge, too, the mayor's daughter. She had often come by to offer strawberries to us…though we barely ever had enough money for them. Still, she was pleasant to talk to, and my father was fond of her also. Being the mayor's daughter, her name had probably only been in the pickings the minimal amount of times. But even that couldn't necessarily save you…

"Yes, we are all ready," said my mother softly. She intertwined her fingers with my fathers, then with mine. This was sort of a tradition, too. We liked to walk out with what little dignity we had, living in the Seam.

I took one last look at our worn-down house, praying that I would see it again soon.

…

"Welcome, welcome."

I wanted to gag. Effie Trinket was probably the most peculiar being in all of Panem. Her hair was dyed a bright orange, and it was sticking out in all directions in…curls? I guess that's what they were supposed to be. She was wearing a dress with blocks of colors; some red there, purple there, pink, yellow…my eyes hurt just looking at her. I know everyone else thought the same thing, because some were wincing and trying to look in other directions.

We had all filed into the open section of land outside the Justice Building. It was swelteringly hot, which added to the feeling of not wanting to be there. Parents were wiping sweat off of their young children's faces. Many of the really young children were crying. It must have been because of the heat, because they were too young to understand why they were here.

"Let's have a round of applause for the seventy-third ever reaping!"

There were a few seconds of weak applauding. Effie looked slightly disgruntled.

"Alright, so let's get to it, shall we?" She walked-no, strutted- over to the large circular holder for the slips of paper with all of our names on them.

I felt myself trembling. I looked over to where the boys stood, and made eye-contact with Peeta. He looked just as nervous as I was. He was wringing his hands, and shaking his leg. I tried to shoot a confident smile towards him, as if to reassure him, but it probably came off more as trying to reassure myself.

"Ladies first!" She smiled sweetly out towards us.

_It won't be me. It won't be…forty-one times, Iris! Forty-one!_

"Alrighty! Our girl tribute for the 73 Annual Hunger Games is…"

_I'll be fine. I will be fine. Please. Please let me be fine…oh no, forty-one times!_

"Iris Deveron."


	5. Reality Bites

**Sorry I haven't updated in a while but here is chapter 5! Please review!**

I couldn't even move.

I felt like I was paralyzed. I kept telling myself I had to move. _Go, Iris. You have to go, Iris! _ It's like it hadn't registered in my body, yet. I was just too shocked.

Was I going to die? Of course I was going to die! Those Careers have been training for several years now. They were ready to kill…no, not kill. Destroy. I was dead meat.

"Iris Deveron? Come on up, Iris!"

Slowly, I managed to put one foot in front of the other. Running away was the first thought that I had, but then I remembered all the guards and Peacekeepers around. There was no way I could leave.

"Let's show some love for our 73rd Hunger Games female tribute!"

There was quiet clapping from select parts of the area. I saw Peeta looking at me with shock on his face. He kept shaking his head, like he was trying to convince himself it wasn't real. I gave him a wavering smile. I had to at least pretend I had a chance. For my family, and for Peeta.

"Alright, just step on over here, Iris." She shoved me over in the corner by the camera men. One of them smiled encouragingly at me, as if to say-_Well, you still got a shot!_

"And our male tribute for the Hunger Games will be…Flint Laurence!"

I sighed a breath of relief. It was horrible of me, of course, to be relieved that a fellow person would be in these awful Games. But I was just so grateful that it wasn't Peeta. Besides, I hadn't always been that fond of Flint. He did not grow up in the Seam, and he was a little cocky at times.

He looked like he'd been punched in the face. His friends all stared at him, gaping.

"Congratulations, you two!" Effie smiled sweetly, like being in these Games was a good thing. "Now, before we send these two off to the train, does anybody want to volunteer for them?"

That's the other thing. People whose names have not been called can still volunteer for one of the tributes. This is highly uncommon in District 12, though. It's more likely to happen in Districts 1 or 2.

"No volunteers? Alright then. You all may go, but Iris and Flint? You have five minutes to say goodbye to your family. Tick tock!"

…

"Iris, oh, my baby!" My mother was running up to be and hugging me so tightly that it felt like I was suffocating.

It was pretty funny-well not funny, but ironic, that she would be the one crying and not me. It was like I couldn't even do anything except stare into space in horror. My days from now were numbered, and just acknowledging that fact made me feel sick.

I took one look at my father, and the tears rolling silently down his face, and then burst out into tears myself. It was like seeing his expression made the whole thing even more real. He walked up to me slowly and engulfed me in a hug. His body was shaking from crying, and he kept patting my hair gently.

"You can win it Iris," he whispered. "I know that you can."

Me? Win? I had no special talents or any survival skills. The only thing that was in my favor was how small I was. That means I am fast, and easy to overlook… which could just be my secret weapon.

"Thanks, Daddy." I wiped off some of the tears on my face. "I love you."

He stepped back and had a shaky smile on his face. I looked to my mother, whose whole body was quivering. I didn't know what else to say. Saying "See you soon" seemed extremely stupid, because it was so unlikely that that would happen.

"Deveron family, times up." The head Peacekeeper opened the door for my parents to leave. They shot me one last loving glance, blew me a kiss, and then they were gone.

"Mom?" I croaked out. "…Dad?"

I sat down on the floor, curling up into a ball. The lights were off, and nobody else was there. I happily would have chosen a silent death right there over a painful one in the arena. Sobs took over my body, and I didn't know how long I was there on the floor. Minutes, hours? It didn't matter, though. Nothing mattered anymore.

Reality struck back when somebody opened the door. It was Flint, with a stupid look on his face. It seemed to be a mixture of hope and confusion.

"Hi Iris," he said. He didn't sound upset or anything. It was like nothing happened. "Effie said we get to eat as much as we want on the train! I can't wait. A full meal…just imagine that!"

I stared at him, not believing his optimism.

"How are you so calm?" I snapped at him, standing up.

Flint looked confused. "I don't know…I'm just excited to be fed and clean for once!" He chuckled a bit, which made me raise my eyebrows at him.

"Well, that will be good, but-"

"Woah, were you crying?" He lightly put a finger under my eyes to feel the tears. I slapped his hand away from my face, shocked.

"Uh, yeah! Do you not know what happened?"

He looked sad, but not because of his fate; because I was being snappy to him.

"Well, I do. But once we train and practice, we'll be good! We still have a shot you know."

_The only shot we have in that arena is one that kills_, I thought angrily. But I decided it was best not to make an enemy of Flint. After all, if I can get him to be fond of me, the less likely he is to hunt me out in the Games. I had to start being strategic as soon as possible.

"Yeah, we have a shot." I sighed and exited the room, only to find Effie searching around frantically.

"There you two are!" She made a sound like an aggravated cat and scrunched up her hair. "We've been searching for you forever! It's time to get on the train!"

We followed Effie in her orange heels to the large, extravagant train that would take us to the Capitol.

"Say goodbye to District 12, kids!" She jumped up into the train, waving her hand behind her to follow her. Flint went right in and straight to the food.

"Bye, District 12," I said after a pause, entering the train.


	6. Everyone's the Enemy

Tenderloin steak, carrots, corn-on-the-cob, peas, mashed potatoes with gravy, and so much more.

Before I had gotten on that train, I'd never seen those foods. Heck, I didn't even know what half of them were. But once Flint and I stepped on, there were people to put what looked like giant bibs around our necks, steaming plates of food in front of us, silver utensils, dozens of beverages to choose from, and more. Now I understood Flint's eagerness to come here.

Effie looked slightly disgusted by how much food we were eating, and how fast we were eating it. She kept clearing her throat pointedly and making it a point to eat as dignified as she could. I tried my hardest to eat nicely, but I was so unused to being fancy. It was hard to be like Effie.

"Ms. Trinket, the montage is starting in a few minutes."

"Oh, thank you Harold!"

I knew all too well what the montage was. They made it mandatory that everyone in Panem watched the clips of other District's reapings. It was always painful to see the poor kids who would soon be dead. It was worse this year because…well, they were my competition.

Effie set up the large television by our table. There was Caesar Flickerman's voice, telling us how "exciting" these Games were going to be. Then they cut to the clips of the reapings.

…

The District 1 tributes certainly lived up to the expectations. There was a small, heavy set brunette girl with bright, blue eyes. The boy looked almost emotionless, with short black hair and a plain looking face. There was nothing plain about his muscles though. Their names were Diamond and Preston, and they were definitely contenders.

I thought they would be the biggest opponents, but boy was I wrong. The boy from District 2 had a very hard, angry looking face. He had cropped blonde hair and large muscles. He was nothing compared to the girl, though.

"Haven Maddox!" A woman called out on the television.

This girl looked like a born killer. She was extremely tall, and had that body that was muscular yet somewhat slim. She had huge green eyes that stood out on her pale white skin. Her hair was a shimmery gold that went all the way down to her hips, in tangled knots. She was pretty, but it looked like she put no effort into her look. She was cracking her knuckles and glaring at everyone who she saw.

"Does anybody want to volunteer for these tributes?"

The woman hadn't needed to ask this, though, because Haven shot the whole crowd a withering look. It seemed to say _Volunteer, and you die_. That just meant she had been training for this day her whole life. I gulped nervously.

After that point, I hardly noticed any other tributes. There was a twelve year old boy, and my heart felt for him. He was so young, and was about to be tossed into a bloodbath. I also noticed a quiet red headed girl. She looked pretty strong and fast, though. Something about her seemed familiar. I couldn't put my finger on it, though. Her name was Amber.

"Okay then, Iris and Flint! Finish up your meals, and then you should get some rest! It's a big day tomorrow!"

Tomorrow was our interview with Caesar. We were supposed to dress up all fancy, and make an impression on those judges. This was essential, because likeable people or people who will most likely win get sponsors. If you're forgettable, then good luck.

Our mentor, Haymitch Abernathy, strolled in. He had a weird looking grin on his face, and he was stumbling around. After tripping over a chair three times, he finally managed to sit down correctly.

"Beer," he grunted to one of the Avoxes. She looked frightened and hurried to accommodate him.

I had a feeling that was our cue to go to bed. I gave Flint a look and we both excused ourselves to go to our rooms.

"Well, have a good night, Iris!" he said.

Again his cheeriness annoyed me. What was there to be happy about? But instead I just smiled back at him. _Don't make enemies_, I told myself. _That will only hurt you later_.

"You have a good night too, Flint."

_Yeah, have a good night_, I though bitterly in my head. _You won't have many more of them._


	7. Phase One

"Stand up straight. Don't make that face. Lord, Iris, you look like you're in pain!"

I just stood there, trying to take in all of Effie's critique. She'd been analyzing me for five minutes without stopping. I had no idea there could be so many things wrong with a person's appearance, but apparently there could be. I knew how important this interview was, though. If I appeared likeable, my chances in these Games would be so much better. So I tried my hardest to keep up with Effie. I walked carefully in my heels to a mirror and tried to fix my eye makeup to show her that I was serious about this whole thing.

"Don't smudge that!" She slapped my hand down from my face and made a _tsk _noise. "Follow me, now."

I glanced back at myself one more time before we left. The makeup and design crew had done wonders. They intertwined long locks of fake hair into my real hair, used expensive makeup on my apparently "baby-like" face. I was put into a light green, flowy dress, and pale white heels. My eyebrows were plucked, legs waxed, and so much more. I was fascinated by my look. Apparently this was the "natural" look. I'd always thought that meant, you know, actually being natural.

I looked pretty, I'll admit. But how far would prettiness get me? Not very far. I thought of the Haven girl, and how terrifying she had looked. Heck, all of the Careers looked scary! I was definitely not intimidating.

"Iris, come on!" Effie yelled for me to catch up to her.

It was a short ride to the location of the interview. I spent most of it listening to how idiotic Flint sounded.

"What's _my_ 'secret weapon', Effie?" he asked eagerly.

She stared at him for a while, then answered unenthusiastically, "Perkiness."

Flint seemed to think that was the best thing ever... I thought it was stupid.

"And yours, Iris…" Effie started, then trailed off and looked at her fake nails.

Haymitch turned his attention to me. He looked me up and down and said, "Well you certainly are easy on the eyes."

It took me a while to figure out he meant that I was pretty.

"Thanks." I smiled wearily.

Was I pretty? I never really thought of myself that way. Mostly because nobody had ever told me I was…rather than my mother. She used to always say "We named you Iris because you are vibrant, and beautiful. Just like the flower."

I felt a pang in my stomach when I thought about my mother, and how I was most never going to see her again. Most likely.

…

Before I knew it, I was waiting to go up for my interview. And it seemed like everybody else had something unique about them. Haven Maddox, intimidating. Very intimidating. Emmett Smith, mysterious. Dagan Miller, a charmer. Vivian Stronge, cunning. What did I have? Being pretty? And not even _very_ pretty. Just…pretty.

"And next we have Flint Laurence, from District 12!" I heard polite applause from the audience, but I couldn't register anything else. My mouth felt like sawdust on the inside, my hands were dripping sweat and were numb. I was shaking like I never have. I didn't want all those people to see me. I didn't want to have to impress them.

Then something just clicked. I knew I would have to be likeable. Adorable even. I would need to smile, giggle, be modest, all of that. And I didn't feel like that at all, but I would put on an act. If they just believed I was harmless, well, that would be phase one. Phase one in my attempt to stay alive. And it is certainly easier than my next phases will be. I became determined that I would get the Capitol on my side.

"Thank you so much Flint! And next we have Ms. Iris Deveron."

I heard the applause and took a deep breath in. I could do this.

I had to do this.


End file.
